The St. Louis Park and Golden Valley Artist Showcase is a community art exhibit celebrating local artists from these two neighboring cities.
This exhibition features more than 80 works of visual art from 34 artists who live, work, or learn in St. Louis Park or Golden Valley. Artists range from professionals with decades of experience exhibiting their work to amateurs, hobbyists, and students exhibiting in their very first gallery show.
This exhibit is produced in partnership by St. Louis Park Friends of the Arts and Golden Valley Arts, with support from the City of Golden Valley and the City of St. Louis Park, at Brookview Golden Valley. It opened on January 31 with an opening reception that brought more than 500 people together to see the artwork and enjoy live music, a film screening, virtual reality artwork, food and drink.
These three pieces by Amy Sands, from her Revolution series, are monoprint, serigraph, lasercut on layered washi.
“My work pushes the boundaries of what has been historically defined as a print. I have been exploring the integration of traditional and digital printmaking processes in a three-dimensional format by layering intricate digital laser cuts with traditionally printed monotypes. I am interested in how these translucent papers allow for an interaction of light and shadow as they occupy space. Lace and craft doilies of family heritage serve as a vantage point for the paper abstractions. These compositions become transformed into a deeper temporal and psychological space through the complex layering of the intricate patterns and how they interact with the light and shadow.”
Above and to the right, high school student Dina Prohofsky’s Tryptic (acrylic on canvas) and Plate (alcohol ink on resin).
To the left, three acrylic on board bird’s nests by Kellie Rae Theiss, an artist who splits her time in St. Louis Park and northern Minnesota. “My paintings express a reverence for nature. They are rendered with layers of careful detail to relate to the viewer, with my own dash of surrealism, how beautiful, fragile, and brief our lives are. All of us are included in this parallel. We are responsible to observe, appreciate, and protect nature. My paintings summon reflection and create a stronger connection to our world. When the opportunity arises to make the right choices for our environment, I hope that each of us will be moved to take the high road. What is wild in this world is where true beauty is found.”
Above: Lilies, art glass and mirror.
Right: Expect the Unexpected, reclaimed wood and children’s blocks.
Stacia Goodman is a self-taught mosaic artist and the creative force behind Stacia Goodman Mosaics. “Although my medium is mosaics, I’m foremost a pattern artist. My work is inspired by the mesmerizing patterns within nature and urban life. The rebel in me breaks the rules of traditional mosaic design, working in hand-made ceramic tile, art glass, mirror, wood and other reclaimed materials. In addition to individual works, my portfolio includes site-specific artwork and large installations in public spaces (MSP Airport) and commercial venues (Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, children’s hospitals) throughout the U.S.”
Laura Lazowski works in a rather obscure medium called encaustic art: an ancient form of art using molten beeswax and tree resin. In the 5th century B.C. it was one of the favorite mediums of Greek and Roman artists. “I was personally drawn to encaustic art due to the sweet scent of the melted beeswax, the unique translucency of the medium, and the mystery of the process of creating an encaustic painting.”
Sam Johnson is an Architectural Designer and Multimedia Artist in the Twin Cities, displaying The Evening and The Morning Cathedral of St. Paul. “My watercolor and ink work combines my love of the watercolor media, my technical drawing skills, and my enjoyment of the outdoors. Before beginning a piece, I find it helpful to explore a building’s site and sketch. I’m always considering a structure’s color, materiality, and design intent when composing a piece. Although correct scale and perspective are important to my composition, it’s helpful to let loose and enjoy myself.”
Coco Connolly is a painter specializing in watercolor. Her works describe her environment, the landscape, and the people around her. Her style blends precise line work and impressionistic flowing watercolors. The landscape studies dwell on the atmospheric qualities of the prairies and farmland in the Midwest, while the botanical and weeds works are opportunities for meditative reflection. A lifetime of dance training fuels her interest in painting people. She is intent on capturing gestures that communicate specific emotions. Pictured here are three paintings from her Weeds in Snow series.
Richard Lang is a longtime St. Louis Park resident who enjoys working with pastels and landscapes. His three pastel on canvas paintings are titled Minnehaha Creek (above, left), Glen Span Bridge (above, right), and Minnesota Lake (below, left).
Kaye Freiberg is an abstract acrylic artist in Golden Valley. She is an experimental artist who uses a multi-layered approach to her painting, using primarily acrylic paint and sometimes adding hand-painted papers, ink, and intuitive mark-making. Kaye is drawn to the mysterious: ancient cultures, unknown realities, and the ambiguities of this world. It is important to her that her painting evokes a mood, a feeling, or an emotion. Her goal is to capture a sense of intrigue in a painting that resonates with the viewer. Pictured are Silent Witness (above, right), Going in Circles (below, left), and Bridging Worlds (below, right).
Above, Jennifer Lowinger’s Akai Bara (Red Rose), oil on canvas. “Through my work, I portray reality as passionately and effectively as I can. I do this through my artistic process, which functions much the way it did when I was young: intuitive and uninhibited. It is essential that I have the choice and freedom to change at any moment. This creative process lends itself to the aesthetic, in that I do not copy reality for its own sake, rather I depict it as I feel it to be. My goal is to find visual harmony in the simplicity of relationships on the surface of the canvas. I achieve this in my paintings through surface textures, color, composition, and paint dynamics; as well as the energy that I generate into each painting.”
To the left, three digital paintings by Sheila Asato, a visual artist deeply influenced by dreams, Japan and the natural world. “My favorite media are drawing, watercolor and photography, which I combine to create unique handmade books and textile designs. I teach at The Minnesota Center for Book Arts and lecture on creativity, dreaming and health at the University of Minnesota. Bicultural and bilingual in English and Japanese, I return annually to Japan to teach, reconnect with friends and meander along the back roads of cities and the countryside with my camera, gathering ideas and inspiration for new projects when I return to Minnesota.” Sheila also exhibited artwork she created in virtual reality as the dream artist in residence at REM5.
Michèle Coppin’s paintings are done by reversed painting on glass, an ancient technique of decorating glass on the back by unfired paint or gilding. “I have developed a process combining both paint and gold to create images of pure color and light, the gold leaf shining through multiple translucent layers of color. My still lives are tableaux of luxuriant foliage, sensuous fruits, baroque patterns, bejeweled birds and insects, voluptuous flowers, inspired by the generosity, abundance and sensuality of nature and the passage of time.” These are titled Garden of Eden I and II.
Denise S. Tennen’s sculptures have a sense of dance: stillness in motion. “My works are distinguished by their flowing and rounded forms, whether small enough to fit in your hand or large enough to fill an entire courtyard. I explore that artistic territory between the abstract and the recognizable, drawing on the work of Henri Matisse and Isamu Noguchi as major influences. My medium is clay, with coil-building my preferred construction technique. My favorite finishes have the sheen of raw clay with the permanence of time. My intention is to bring beauty and zest to the world through my work.”
Heather Villars: “My work as an illustrator and fine artist comes from a need to make sense of the world and need to spur myself to keep going, remember what's important, and stay focused in a hyper-stimulating, ever-depressing, rapid-paced world. Painting, modern calligraphy, and embroidery are the media through which I allow myself to slow down, focus on lines and shapes, and ink in mottos or messages to myself.”
Linda Frankenstein’s Rose after Rain and Amethyst Light, pictured to the right, are painted with alcohol ink on yupo paper.
Below, three of Jackie Adelmann’s photographs inspired by life’s in-between moments. “We all have milestones in our lives that deserve our attention and mark the beginnings of new chapters, yet we also all experience the time spent between these benchmark instances. These pieces remind me to slow down and hopefully offer you a new appreciation for sights that surround us.”
Sally Minsberg has always been interested in art. She took 6 years of watercolor classes at the Edina Art Center until 1991, then worked full time and stopped painting. After retiring in 2017 she resumed her art interests, taking classes through St. Louis Park Community Education & the Minneapolis JCC. She particularly enjoys watercolor and chalk pastels. Her three watercolors pictured above are titled Birches by Moonlight, Floral Still Life, and Hydrangea.
Judith Goebel is a visual and textile artist working in a variety of media including drawing, painting, handspinning yarn, weaving and crochet. Here she displays two graphite and watercolor pieces, Giraffe and Ewe, as well as a handwoven wool scarf.
Cindy Skjei’s pieces are in contrasting styles. Flower is a watercolor painting, and the untitled wolf is a black paper chalk artwork, created by covering the page in black chalk and erasing it to create the grays and whites.
CM Evans is a painter, illustrator, and cartoonist whose work has appeared locally and internationally, online and offline. His abstract acrylic on canvas paintings displayed are titled The Highest Deity On Vacation, Assortment in Sky Which is Everblue and Full of Spheres, Motion, and Stars, and It Cannot Be Put Into Words.
Below, from left to right:
Morgan by Dina Prohofsky, acrylic on canvas
The Corinthian Column by Sam Johnson, watercolor and ink
Butterfly by Tina Prokosch, acrylic on canvas
For John Markovich and his photography, “it's all about line—shape and form.”
Jenny Stice is a fiber artist who recently has been exploring the use of embroidery to translate her drawings into a new medium. Jenny draws inspiration from the natural world, Dungeons & Dragons monsters, miniature cows, and cooking vegan recipes. As a teaching artist, she has been sharing her enthusiasm for art with students from Pre-K to Adult for the past 10 years. Jenny has gained her K-12 Visual Arts teaching license and is in the process of gaining her Master's from Augsburg University. On the left is Candace, gouache on paper, and on the right is Mildred, embroidery.
As a journalist, photographer, and designer, much of Jaime Chismar's work is dedicated to serving her community by sharing stories large and small about the incredible people who share it. In quieter moments, you'll find her in the garden raising monarch butterflies or sharing an umbrella in the rain with her daughter. You might have seen her work in your neighbor's front yard, as Jaime is also the designer behind the iconic ALL ARE WELCOME HERE lawn sign.
David Roers alters photographs to create surrealistic images that are interpretations of observations regarding pop culture, modern technology, the environment, social, political or religious subjects. David also likes to portray the impossibilities of everyday objects when reshaped by the imagination. “I've always thought that if you have a voice to the world, say something worthwhile. Make something thought-provoking, interesting and unique, while also capturing the eye.” His surrealist photography displayed are titled Hand of God and A Monstrous Conscience.
Juliana Lueneburg creates her artwork by cutting and layering paper.
Janice Reuland’s Land series are made with acrylic, handmade paper and ink, on panel. When viewed in person, the depth and texture can be fully noticed and appreciated.
Kristan Nalezny is a mother, wife and teacher who lives and works in Golden Valley. “Quilting is an art form that allows me to play with color and express my creativity. It is also a form of therapy and something I do in the company of a dear friend group, The Slummin’ Sisters.”
Gerri Reid Skjervold’s artwork (above and right) has undergone a series of transitions since she began her career in the early 1970’s. The narration wrangles with complexities of human relationships, our changing culture, new technology, a global world and preserving our environment. Her two tempera collage works displayed here are titled Peaceful Village and The Village Swings.
Shelli Burns’ hand-built and painted artwork (below) is an expression of the beauty she finds in the natural world, drawing inspiration from the variations in colors, forms, and textures of wood, rocks, and plants as well as by the clarity and flow of water. “Through my work, I strive to portray and preserve the beauty we have in front of us. I use different materials and colors of clay, stains and glazes to experiment.”
Kathilyn Solomon loves how water color soaks into paper creating surprises with each touch. She is as much the creator as is the medium as is the paper. Her conceptual art uses found and everyday common objects to explore and raise awareness of oft overlooked odd little dominant mainstream cultural anomalies that can be considered to be polarizing or otherwise causing trouble for human beings, in her own efforts to bring unity and healing to all Creation. She is visual, herb-garden, and conceptual artist, word creatrix, healing arts practitioner, & Mother Earth Junkie.
Maren Legeros’ paper cut illustrations balance delicately between portrait and abstraction. Meticulously detailed and high in contrast, her work invites the viewer to engage intimately with representations of loss, anxiety, strength and power. “In the play of positive and negative space I search for emotional equilibrium.”
Lance Lueneburg’s mixed media/acrylic on wood artworks are titled Depths of Lava and Woodpecker in Charge.
A common thread to John Kluchka's work is creation of a visual spark to begin a path to meditation and clarity. Metta Compositions are at the core of this work, plus other collections which express other forms of visual meditation. These three Metta Compositions are ink on canvas.